Dr. Berg explains adrenal fatigue and all of its symptoms.

The adrenal fatigue can create all sorts of problems for you. The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys.

One of their main functions is countering stress with the production of several hormones. What I mean by countering, is opposing or buffering any and all stress. The adrenals react to emotional stress 1000% more severely than physical trauma.

Every type of stress influences these glands—injury, infection, divorce, financial stresses, job-related stress, irritable people, drugs and medication, surgery, pain, illness, poison ivy, excessive cold or heat, giving birth, menstrual cycle, staring into computer monitors for hours at a time, eating junk foods, starvation diets, excessive exercise and babysitting fifteen small children under the age of five for over thirteen hours without proper ventilation.

The adrenals have many other functions, from anti-inflammatory actions (ridding the body of pain and swelling) and immune system protection to balancing fluid and salt levels, and controlling minerals (such as potassium), rapid heart rate and sleep and awake cycles. They even act as back-up organs for the ovaries during menopause. In other words, they make the same hormones as the ovary does. They also effect sleep and cause some major adrenal fatigue.

Other symptoms of the adrenal can be excess fat in both the midsection (buffalo-like torso) and the face can occur from overreaction of this gland. In the midsection, the fat forms primarily in and around the abdominal organs and sags downward over the belly. This is called visceral fat and cannot be safely extracted with liposection. Another term for this stomach is pendulous, meaning loose, hanging and sagging. This is different from the Liver body shape, which is a potbelly or a protruding stomach like a water balloon, while in the Ovary body shape the person has a small bulge below the bellybutton.

Why does fat go to my belly?

The reason is very interesting. Since fat is a survival mechanism or what we called potential energy – sounds better, right…- stress triggers the accumulation or holding of this scarce energy and directs it to the most vital area of the body – the organs in your gut. The body is just trying to survive and doesn’t care what you look like. Adrenal stress can severely affect all parts of your life.

What can be done?

I have developed an acupressure technique that can extract stress from your body. It is a do-it-yourself technique and will greatly help your sleep, your energy and tolerance to stress. And there is a great nutritional remedy I recommend for adrenal stress: